When the Fear is just too Great

When the Fear is just too Great

“This morning I read a story about a young lad, who, in order to ‘put food on the table,’ as his mother put it, he’s risking his life. He risks his life through gaining access to the roofs of tall buildings (the latest was Canary Warf in London) and then taking selfies of himself whilst in a daredevil pose.”

Fair enough you might say, it’s his life to risk, after all. It does though, seem of little concern to him and his mother, who it will be, that gets to clear up the mess off the pavement when he does eventually hit the ground at high velocity – think rotten tomatoes.

Definitely a job to avoid. And all for going viral on social media and selling a few t-shirts. Some consider him brave and some foolish. I personally don’t give a shit, provided he doesn’t land on me, or someone I love on his way down. Never mind the trauma likely to be experienced by those left behind, through either clearing up the mess literally, or emotionally.

“Many people are following him under the ghoulish hope he’ll die in some horrible fashion in the future, and of course this, clearly depends on how often he risks his life, and by how foolish or brave he decides to become.”

It is after all, a decision, all be it a decision made by a misguided, foolish young man. I say misguided, as there was no sign of a father in the piece I read this morning. A grown man would never risk his life in this way.

So to my point. Fear: it serves a useful purpose. It keeps us from harm and from taking unnecessary risks. We must respect this necessary emotion for what it is. Those who are able to override their fear, in order to risk their lives, may be considered hero’s by some, and yet, I do need to ask: why? Why would you need to risk your precious life? For the betterment of mankind, or simply for a buzz, or the notoriety our ego craves?

There are times when fear can be a hindrance. On such occasions, I would be the first to encourage and empower someone to break free, provided there was no risk to life. Our young lad in question is not overcoming fear, he’s seeking love, and potentially from the person who wasn’t able to talk him out of his latest stunt. In fact the more she tried to talk him down, so to speak, the more determined he no doubt became, to act in a reckless fashion.

The goal? Love and Attention. A sense of real love and attention from those he longs to gain it from: his parents. To love this child, is not to try and talk him out of risking his life, it’s to love him so much – from day one – that he would never ever risk it, to begin with.